For immediate release
March 7, 2013
KPU and BCcampus host Open Textbook Workshop
(Metro Vancouver, BC) – Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in partnership with BCcampus hosted an Open Textbook Workshop on February 26, 2013. More than 55 people gathered for a day-long discussion at KPU Richmond in the new Melville Centre for Dialogue. The diverse group of participants included faculty, librarians, administrators, professional and service staff from KPU, Douglas College, Langara College, University of British Columbia, University of the Fraser Valley, and the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
In October 2012, the government of British Columbia announced its support for the creation of open textbooks for the 40 highest-impact first and second-year courses in the province’s public post-secondary system. BCcampus was tasked with coordinating the project. The textbooks, a type of open educational resources (OER) will be available for free online, or at low-cost for printed versions.
Dr. Alan Davis, president and vice-chancellor at KPU, shared his thoughts on the evolution of personal learning networks during the lunchtime keynote. “KPU, as a polytechnic university, is ripe for innovation and adaptations of existing educational practices,” he said. “Open educational resources are but one example of how institutions like KPU might innovate.”
Dr. Davis also announced that KPU has chosen to further explore open educational resources through participation as an anchor partner in the OER university network (OERu). The objective of the OERu is to create a sustainable partnership between accredited educational institutions which will provide free learning to all learners and pathways to gain academic credit from formal education institutions around the world.
OER are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. The OER movement is aimed at expanding educational opportunities to students who might otherwise be unable to afford them, and to increasing opportunities for those in the developing world.
For more information about this event, visit: open.bccampus.ca/2013/01/28/adopting-open-textbooks-workshop-kwantlen/.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 18,000 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.
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For more information about Kwantlen, contact:
Cara Johnson
Media Specialist
Tel: 604.598.6196
cara.johnson@kwantlen.ca